And we have a roll over!

It gave me a thrill to watch her from afar as she took command of her little body and flipped like a pancake.

It also gave me an important lesson in … well, letting go.

Chloe is just past 4 months old. I know a lot of other babies usually roll over sooner (not that I’m comparing, since I know babies are all individuals on their own schedules!).

Chloe probably would have done it sooner, but couldn’t for two reasons: One, we rarely put her down. Two, when we did put her down, and saw she was trying to roll over, we’d jump in and help with a nudge or a tug.

I say “we,” but for the most part, it was me. Although to be fair, two-year-old Caden did a lot of nudging and tugging, too. (He got a kick out of it, as did she, so I saw no need to interfere.)

As for the never-putting-her-down part, that’s just our habit. Some moms have permanent blankets laid out in their living rooms so their babies always have a place to sprawl while they get things done. I have three different carriers I can strap on at a moments’ notice so I can carry Chloe with me while I get things done.

And then, when we were lying down and she’d get the wiggles … well, it was hard to just sit back and watch without being a part of it.

The reason she finally got a chance to do it on her own is that I was in the shower. I had laid her down on a blanket where I could see her. That’s when it happened. She pancaked, I squealed with delight, and Chloe soon had a very wet mama dancing around and clapping her hands.

I know this is just the first of many milestones she’ll reach. And I know there will be many times when I’ll need to step back and let her do her thing without any interference from me. (Does it get easier over time? I suspect the answer is no, but if you have other thoughts then please share!)

At any rate, her rollover moment was glorious and fun. I’ll savor that for now … and work on letting go later.